In Space-Starved San Francisco, African-American Residents Struggle to Hold On

Tuesday, Dec 29, 2015

As San Francisco rides a massive building boom reminiscent of post-World War II, fueled largely by growth in tech-based jobs, developers are finally wading into a part of the city long plagued by too much poverty and not enough fresh produce markets.

The Bayview-Hunters Point district is one of the last major frontiers for San Francisco development, encompassing more than a square mile of undeveloped land in a cramped city of 49 square miles. The undeveloped neighborhood is a rarity in space-starved San Francisco, where housing is scarce and among the most expensive in the country.

As more high-rent apartments arrive and gentrification sends prices skyrocketing, many African-Americans worry they will not be able to afford to stay in the district they’ve long called home. Here are scenes from that changing neighborhood in San Francisco, as documented by photographer Marcio Jose Sanchez in November 2015.